Bill Shorten Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition
2:05 pm
Talking of someone who talks about airlines, does the Prime Minister agree with the Treasurer's statement that there is a significant community benefit in having a national carrier?
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
Of course I agree with the Treasurer! There is never a moment when I do not agree with the Treasurer.
Mr Husic interjecting—
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
I tell you what, does the Leader of the Opposition agree with his shadow minister that the government is the major shareholder in Qantas? Does the Leader of the Opposition agree with his shadow minister that the Commonwealth has a majority share in Qantas? This is not something that the shadow minister said in 1994; he said it today.
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order on relevance.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
I am happy to keep going.
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
If the Prime Minister is going to continue he should be directly relevant. He clearly is not. He knows that questions are asked of the executive, not by the executive.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
It was a pretty broad-ranging question. It simply asked if the Prime Minister agreed with the Treasurer.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
Madam Speaker, I was asked about disagreements between party leaders and their frontbenchers, and here is a classic case—a classic case of a senior frontbencher who has not realised that two decades have gone by since the Labor Party sold Qantas lock, stock and barrel into the private sector. He is still living in the good old days of state-owned airlines. We are not.
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
Madam Speaker, on a point of order: is the Prime Minister even going to pretend to abide by the standing orders?
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
We have already had a point of order on relevance.
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
I know, but we have not had a ruling in accordance with the standing orders.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
There is no point of order. I have already said it was a very broad-ranging question.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
Unlike members opposite, who are completely clueless when it comes to the facts of the aviation industry in this country, we will make sure as far as we humanly can that we give all the airlines of this country the support they need to keep going, and the best support we can do is to take the carbon tax off them—a $100 million a year hit on the workers of Qantas. The Leader of the Opposition supports it but we oppose it and we will free the workers of Qantas from this $100 million a year tax on their jobs.